What is the best method for rooting a small plant or vine from a clipping?

Question

I have checked online, but everywhere tells me something different. The plants I'm currently trying to root are members of the passion flower and honeysuckle families (vine plants with a nice climbing habit) from cuttings I've taken from their newer growth.

One popular method has told me to put the cuttings in vermiculite after dipping the end in rooting compound.

The second method I've found was to take the clippings and keep the bottom half submerged in water (in a glass or test tube) until roots begin to emerge.

(I've even considered merging the two and keeping a test tube filled with water and vermiculite after dipping the plant in rooting compound!!)

Of these two, are either better or worse for rooting these clippings, and if there are any methods that I have missed (I'm sure there are several) that would be a good choice for these plants then please let me know. Thanks for the help.

Answer 1

I've had success rooting honeysuckle in water, but not my passion flower. You have to change the water often if you use that method. It will develop a bacteria that turns the water into smelly pond scum and the vine gets mushy and dies before the roots develop. One way that did work to root the passion flower, was to dip the root in the B-1 then use Shultz root compound and I stuck it in a pot of soil.

Answer 2

Actually, either method will work, as will your "combination" method -- I've used that as well. It has the advantage that when you go to plant the thing, it will bring some vermiculate along with itself, thereby protecting the roothairs and holding water.

Don't know about passionflower, but honeysuckle is pretty tenacious -- I would assume it would root pretty well. I've found the issue with rooting is the *when* you take the cutting, more then the method of rooting. If you take the cutting from growth that is too fresh, it will just wilt and die; too old and it will harden off before rooting.

So, just experiment and have fun. Expect to fail a bit, but you seem to be on the right track, so I think you will eventually succeed -- good luck!!